Kannur (Kerala), Mar 5 (PTI) A three-year-old elephant which was tranquilised after it strayed into the residential areas of Ayyankunnu grama panchayat in Kannur district on Wednesday died later in the evening, officials said.
While the exact cause of death is yet to be ascertained, the elephant’s weak state and injuries to its jaw may have resulted in its demise, forest officials said.
The elephant had a serious jaw injury, which appeared to have been caused by a firecracker, for which it could not eat or drink.
The elephant was tranquilised, tied up with ropes, put on a vehicle and taken away from the area by forest officials on Wednesday evening, according to visuals shown on television channels.
After the pachyderm was sedated, medicines were applied to its wounds.
Forest officials said the chief wildlife warden directed that the elephant be tranquilised and taken away from the populated area for treatment.
Accordingly, it was taken to the Aralam Valyamchal RRT treatment centre and if required, it was supposed to be shifted to Wayanad for specialised treatment, forest officials said.
However, it died before that, they said.
The elephant strayed into the village early on Wednesday morning, forest officials said, prompting the district collector to issue an order prohibiting public gatherings in three wards of Ayyankunnu grama panchayat for two days.
As per the order, people were directed not to gather in numbers in wards 8, 9 and 10 from 10 am on March 5 to 6 pm on March 6.
However, a large number of people were seen in the area throughout the day, closely watching the steps being taken by the forest officials to capture the elephant.
On February 23, an elderly couple was killed in an elephant attack in the Aralam Farms area here. PTI COR HMP ARI
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